The sun was very bright outside. Chu Qiao was lying on a recliner, feeling drowsy. Most of the cicadas on the trees had died, with only a few remaining, chirping intermittently. She dozed off slightly and was about to fall asleep in a daze.
I don’t know how long it took, but the surroundings suddenly became quiet.
Chu Qiao was startled and opened her eyes suddenly, but was stunned for a moment. I saw a woman in her fifties standing in front of me. Her eyes were calm, but her face was a little pale, as if she had not been exposed to the sun for a long time. I saw that she was looking at herself carefully, very attentively.
Seeing Chu Qiao wake up, the lady nodded as a greeting, and then asked, "Would you like some water?"
Chu Qiao frowned as she looked at her. This person was dressed simply, but upon closer inspection, she could still tell that the fabric was very luxurious. She seemed like a nanny of a very high rank, but with a touch of nobility. It seemed that this person had been in a high position for a long time, but lacked some of the majesty of being in power. I saw that she was wearing a string of sandalwood Buddhist beads on her wrist. It was very old and seemed somewhat inappropriate for her status.
Seeing that Chu Qiao didn't say anything, the woman walked straight to the shade of a tree nearby, picked up the teapot from the small table and poured a cup of tea. She walked back slowly and said, "Drink it. It's easy to have dry mouth in early autumn. Young people should pay more attention to taking care of their health."
Chu Qiao took a sip of tea and indeed felt much more refreshed. She looked at the woman awkwardly, then said cautiously, "I'm sorry, I just entered the palace and I don't have much experience. I don't know what your name is?"
"Me? My last name is Yao."
Yao is a common surname in Bian Tang. From the queen to the ordinary palace maids, one or two out of ten people in the palace have the surname Yao. In just a few days, Chu Qiao has met no less than seven or eight aunts with the surname Yao.
"Can I sit down?" the woman asked politely, pointing to a chair nearby.
Chu Qiao nodded quickly and said, "Please sit down."
Seeing Chu Qiao looking around, the woman said, "The Queen is here, your maids have all gone out to welcome her."
Chu Qiao looked at her with a suspicious expression, and her look was obviously asking: Who are you? Why didn’t you go to greet the Queen when she came?
The woman smiled. She must be a person who seldom smiled. Her smile looked a little old-fashioned, and there were not even wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. She looked at Chu Qiao and said, "I'm fine, I just wanted to come and see you."
Her words were so incoherent that Chu Qiao didn't know how to respond. There are many rules in this palace, and the people are numerous, so everyone speaks with caution. Chu Qiao was thinking about the woman's identity when the woman said again, "You are very good."
Chu Qiao smiled faintly and said, "Thank you for the compliment."
"I'm not complimenting you. You are indeed very good, but I think you are not suitable for living in the palace."
Chu Qiao immediately understood. Was this another jealous lobbyist who mistakenly thought he was Li Ce’s new favorite?
"Don't worry, I won't stay here for long."
"No, that's not what I meant." The woman shook her head and said, "Everyone is not suitable at first, but they will gradually adapt. This palace is like this, it can smooth out all your edges that are not suitable. I think you are good. If you move in, maybe this palace will change a little."
Chu Qiao frowned and looked at the woman in confusion, not knowing what she meant.
"The prince wants to demolish the Buddhist temple in the palace. Did you know that?"
She spoke in a very jumpy way. Chu Qiao was stunned, shook her head, and said, "I don't know."
"He wants to worship the Laughing Buddha in the palace. Sigh, I really am..." The woman frowned, seeming to be very troubled. She looked at Chu Qiao and said slowly, "If you have time, please persuade him. After all, he is the prince of Bian Tang. He can't be too foolish."
"I'll go first," the woman stood up and said to Chu Qiao, "You're injured, don't see me off." Then she slowly walked out of Mi Heju through the side door.
This person came suddenly, said a bunch of nonsense, and then left. Chu Qiao couldn't help but feel a little strange.
After a while, Qiu Sui and others came back. The maids all looked strange and a little uneasy.
"Akiho, what's going on? Is the Queen here? Why didn't you call me?"
Qiu Sui said, "Aunt Xi came to tell me that the Queen has arrived at the palace gate. When she saw you sleeping, she said that you were ill and there was no need to welcome her. So we went together."
"What about the Queen?"
"We waited for a long time, but the queen didn't get out of the car. Later, she said she was not feeling well, so she went back."
"Oh." Chu Qiao nodded, as if she understood something, "Help me in."
The maids agreed, and then a eunuch came forward, lifted Chu Qiao's soft couch, and returned to the palace gate.
Speaking of which, Chu Qiao hasn't seen Li Ce for two days. She didn't feel anything, but Qiu Sui and others were very depressed. After all, Chu Qiao was seriously ill that day, and Li Ce reopened Mi Heju, where she lived as a child, for her to live in. Who in the entire court didn't know the deep meaning behind this?
However, what happened next made Mi Heju's servants a little depressed. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, who had just shown some signs of devotion, summoned all the palace ladies that night for a joking reason, and had drinking and merrymaking in the Crown Prince's Palace. It is said that as many as eight people slept with him that night. And during these days, he did not set foot in Mi Heju, but instead held many banquets. It is said that a large-scale construction project will be started recently to build a palace for a newly favored palace maid.
Qiu Sui and several young palace maids have been sighing all day long these days, as if they were being neglected. They even speak less and the entire Mi Heju is so quiet that one can almost hear people breathing.
In the evening, when it was getting dark, Chu Qiao was standing in front of the window when she suddenly heard a gentle and melodious flute sound. Listening from afar across a pool of misty water, the sound of the flute seems to have a lingering feel, which is particularly moving.
Chu Qiao listened carefully, then turned around and asked, "Do you know who is playing the flute?"
The maids shook their heads and said they didn't know. Chu Qiao stood up and wanted to go out to take a look, which frightened Qiu Sui and the others. They held her tightly, fearing that she would get hurt if she moved.
Chu Qiao had no choice but to agree and lay quietly on the couch until everyone in the room had left. Then she went to the window and flipped out lightly. When she landed, her feet went soft and she almost fell.
She was only wearing silk shoes, and the stone pavement was a little cold when she stepped on it. She didn't meet anyone along the way. Her white gauze skirt dragged softly on the ground, wet by the dew but without any dust. The light was faint, and she was getting farther and farther away from Mi Heju.
It was the water pavilion in the middle of the lake, facing the wind on all sides and standing far above the water. The man was dressed in white clothes as white as snow, holding a purple flute, standing against the wind, his clothes fluttering in the wind. Xiaoxiao's figure stood in the cold moonlight, adding a bit of warmth and tranquility that was rarely seen in normal days.
Chu Qiao stepped slowly onto the ebony bridge, and saw the man turned around. The music stopped abruptly. He didn't panic when he saw Chu Qiao, but smiled wickedly, flipped the flute playfully, and said, "You're not sleeping so late at night. No wonder people say you sleep like a pig during the day. It turns out that you're addicted to going out late at night and save your sleep for the day."
Chu Qiao sneered and teased him, "I'm fine with that, but I heard that you've been partying every night lately, exhausting yourself. Do you still have the energy to play the flute?"
"Haha," Li Ce laughed and said, "I'm in great physical condition. If you don't believe me, you can come and verify it."
Chu Qiao blushed and scolded, "You are so frivolous."
Li Ce rolled his eyes. "Yan Xun is serious. He has a stern face all day long, as if everyone in the world owes him money. Qiao Qiao, do you really plan to be with him for the rest of your life? I guarantee that this man must be very boring in life. As a lifelong event for a girl, you must think it through carefully."
"You're so boring," Chu Qiao glared at him, "You're the only one who's interesting."
"That's right," Li Ce smiled proudly, "This prince is handsome, well-educated, suave, and handsome. He is the number one young talent in the entire Simon land. Wherever I go, unmarried girls flock to me, married ladies flirt with me, and everyone from three-year-old girls to eighty-year-old women are all fascinated by me and bow down to me."
Chu Qiao covered her mouth and smiled: "Yes, you are as handsome as Song Yu, as smart as Pan An, and as charming as Long Yang."
"Who is Song Yu? Who is Pan An? Is Long Yang a person's name?"
Chu Qiao smiled and said, "He is a famous handsome man, haven't you heard of him?"
"Handsome man?" Li Ce snorted disdainfully, "I must meet him when I get a chance."
The moonlight was like water, pouring down silver light all over the ground. The night wind suddenly blew. Li Ce stood up and said, "I'll take you back. It's windy at night and you're injured."
"Okay." Chu Qiao replied.
Li Ce's eyes swept over her embroidered shoes. The soft silk shoes were already wet. He frowned slightly and said, "Why did you come out wearing this?"
Chu Qiao said indifferently: "It's okay, it won't kill anyone. I used to walk barefoot, I'm not as delicate as you."
"Qiao Qiao, you have to remember that you are a woman, not a soldier." Li Ce's face suddenly became serious, and there was even a hint of anger in his voice, "What's wrong with Yan Xun? Can't you do some things yourself? You are a woman, why don't you stay at home and wander around? You don't care about your body at all, and you don't say a word no matter how serious your injuries are. In the future, you will be covered with scars. Let's see how you can get married! I want to see who is willing to marry you."
Chu Qiao shouted, "You can't get married, it's none of your business."
"Hehe, it's none of my business, but I still want to take care of it!"
Chu Qiao frowned, "Hey, Li Ce, you look down on women!"
"I just look down on you, what's the problem?" The man glanced at her sideways, with a nonchalant look like a ruffian.
Chu Qiao walked forward and took the lead, ignoring him and said, "I don't like talking to you. I'm going back now."
As soon as she finished speaking, she felt dizzy and when she came to her senses, she was already firmly held in Li Ce's arms.
"Hey! What are you doing? Put me down!" Chu Qiao was startled and pushed him quickly.
Li Ce half-closed his eyes, glanced at her, and snorted, "I won't let go."
There was a small flame in Chu Qiao's eyes, and she said in a crisp voice: "Are you going to let go or not? If you don't, I won't be polite."
Li Ce didn't care, stretched his neck and said: "You have a knife tied to your arm and leg, I know it. Cut here, if you don't cut, I will look down on you."
Chu Qiao said angrily: "Li Ce, why are you such a scoundrel!"
Li Ce glanced at her impatiently, as if to say: You didn't just find out today, did you? The wind blew softly, lifting their robes like fluttering butterfly wings.
The night was slightly cool, with clear lake water all around. Li Ce held the woman in his arms as they strolled on the ebony bridge. Willow branches hung low on both sides of the river, and occasionally a koi fish jumped out of the water, causing ripples in the lake.
As Li Ce walked, he hummed a cheerful tune. The tune was extremely joyful, just like the smile on his face, which was always bright.